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Author Notes:Wondrously moist and flavorful, this quintuple coconut concoction is made with coconut flour, coconut sugar, coconut oil, coconut milk, and shredded coconut. Gluten and dairy free, the cake batter contains no cane sugar but is still perfectly sweet. The optional glaze envelops each soft, coconutty cake with a crisp, sweet shell. [ This recipe first appeared on my web site, http://buttersugarflowers.com] —butter, sugar, flowers

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Makes 4 dozen mini cupcakes

For the cakes

1
cup drained crushed pineapple (from a 20-ounce can in juice, not syrup)

1.25
cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1
cup coconut sugar

1/2
cup coconut oil, melted

4
large eggs

2
teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2
teaspoon salt

1
teaspoon baking soda

1
teaspoon baking powder

1
cup coconut flour

1
cup unsweetened coconut milk (refigerated carton style)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Using oil or nonstick cooking spray, generously grease your mini muffin pans; set aside. On a baking sheet, toast shredded coconut for 6-8 minutes, until fragrant and becoming golden brown. Meanwhile, place a sieve over a bowl and pour the crushed pineapple over it; let it sit to drain, gently pushing down on it once to aid draining.

Sift the coconut sugar into a large bowl (include the little crystals in your batter; just be sure to remove all the large clumps as you sift). Beat sugar on medium/high speed with coconut oil, adding the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, mixing until even. Sift the salt, baking soda, baking powder and coconut flour over the egg mixture. On low speed, blend the batter as you pour in the coconut milk, again mixing until even. Batter will seem very dry. Add 1 well packed cup of the drained pineapple (you’ll have some crushed fruit left over to use as you wish; reserve the juice for glaze). Fold in 1 cup of the toasted coconut until evenly distributed (reserve remaining 1/4 cup for topping; see below). Fill your muffin tins with a little more than a heaping tablespoon of batter per cup.

Bake for 20 minutes, until fragrant and with toasty edges. Let cakes cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then loosen with a butter knife and remove by inverting pan or using a spoon to scoop them out. Let cakes cool completely on counter top or cooling racks.

Whisk together the powdered sugar, egg white, and pineapple juice vigorously. With the cakes upside-down, top each one with 1-2 teaspoons glaze and quickly sprinkle with a pinch of the remaining toasted coconut. If using cooling racks as you glaze, place the racks over a cookie sheet and/or parchment paper, and use a spatula to scrape up and re-use the glaze that collects below the racks.

Let the icing dry completely, then devour! Cakes are best eaten at room temperature, not refrigerated, and stored in a loosely covered container (not airtight) for up to three days.